Category: Adventure

A Christlike figure wanders through bizarre, grotesque scenarios filled with religious and sacrilegious imagery. He meets a mystical guide who introduces him to seven wealthy and powerful people, each representing a planet in the Solar system. These seven, along with the protagonist, the guide and the guide’s assistant, divest themselves of their worldly goods and form a group of nine who will seek the Holy Mountain, in order to displace the gods who live there and become immortal.

Inspiration

The film is based on Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross and Mount Analogue by René Daumal, who was a student of George Gurdjieff. In this film, much of Jodorowsky’s visually psychedelic story follows the metaphysical thrust of Mount Analogue. This is revealed in such events as the climb to the alchemist, the assembly of individuals with specific skills, the discovery of the mountain that unites Heaven and Earth “that cannot not exist”, and symbolic challenges along the mountain ascent. Daumal died before finishing his allegorical novel, and Jodorowsky’s improvised ending provides a way of completing the work (both symbolically and otherwise).

In London, the sideshow troupe of Doctor Parnassus promises the audience a journey to the “Imaginarium”, an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus, where dreams come true. In the stories that Doctor Parnassus tells to his daughter Valentina, the midget Percy, and his assistant Anton, he claims to have lived for more than one thousand years; However, when he fell in love with a mortal woman, he made a deal with the devil (Mr. Nick), trading his immortality for youth. As part of the bargain, he promised his son or daughter to Mr. Nick on their sixteenth birthday. Valentina is now almost to the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus makes a new bet with Mr. Nick, whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize. Meanwhile the troupe rescues Tony, a young man that was hanged on a bridge by the Russians. Tony was chased until he finds and joins the group. Tony and Valentina fall in love with each other and the jealous Anton discovers that his competition may be a liar.

2009

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus movie image Heath Ledger

Effects of Heath Ledger’s death

Production was disrupted by the death of Heath Ledger in New York City on 22 January 2008. Ledger’s involvement had been a “key factor” in the film’s financing. Gilliam was presiding over concept art when he was informed by a phone call that Ledger had died. His initial thought about the production was: “The film’s over, it’s as simple as that.” Although production was suspended indefinitely by 24 January, Gilliam initially wanted to “salvage” the film by using computer-generated imagery to make Ledger’s character magically change his appearance, perhaps into another character. He also wanted to dedicate the film to Ledger. The imagery would have been similar to transformation techniques seen on Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and those employed on Roy Scheider’s performance in his posthumous release Iron Cross. Continue reading “‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ 2009”

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

Even after reading many bad reviews, I still think this film is a charm. My guess is that many old-head movie buffs might feel a bit offended by his more recent eccentric characters. Although I do agree that most of his characters from older films are some of his best; Johnny Depp is something like a chameleon, he transforms into his characters gracefully it seems and forms new life within them. So to me Johnny Depp can play both a serious and or nutty character. Or really whatever he wishes to play because he is indeed Johnny Depp. He plays all his characters well as he is an amazing actor and deserves credit. Where ever you are Johnny I’m on your side.

About this film, its an adventure and a comedy (among a few other genres), which to me stirs up the perfect cup of coffee; or movie in this case, ha! The movie poster itself put a smile on my face and left me eager to watch what ‘Mortdecai’ was all about.

A hilarious film that had me laughing from the moment I saw Charlie Mortdecai’s ostentatious mustache flaring and his humorous stride. I couldn’t keep my eyes off. There are many funny scenes within this film and of course couldn’t have been funny without Charlie Mortedcai’s gestures, mannerisms and mustache.

Say what you will, but I love this film because its weird, funny and takes me on an adventure with an eccentric character.

During the “Age of Reason” of the late 18th century, the Turkish army lays siege to a European city where a theater production about the extraordinary heroics of famed German aristocrat Baron Münchhausen is underway. A man steps forward to object that the performance is full of inaccuracies, claiming that he is the real Baron Münchhausen (John Neville). When the Turkish army approaches with gunfire, the baron undertakes his latest adventure with his promise to defend the city.

Estranged brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) reunite for a train trip across India. The siblings have not spoken in over a year, ever since their father passed away. Francis is recovering from a motorcycle accident, Peter cannot cope with his wife’s pregnancy, and Jack cannot get over his ex-lover. The brothers fall into old patterns of behavior as Francis reveals the real reason for the reunion: to visit their mother in a Himalayan convent.

The year is 1965, and the residents of New Penzance, an island off the coast of New England, inhabit a community that seems untouched by some of the bad things going on in the rest of the world. Twelve-year-olds Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) have fallen in love and decide to run away. But a violent storm is approaching the island, forcing a group of quirky adults (Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray) to mobilize a search party and find the youths before calamity strikes.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” recounts the adventures of Gustave H., a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” uses a not dissimilar narrative stratagem, a nesting-doll contrivance conveyed in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-a-crucial-part-of-it opening. A young lady visits a park and gazes at a bust of a beloved “Author,” who is then made flesh in the person of Tom Wilkinson, who then recalls his younger self in the person of Jude Law, who then recounts his meeting with Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), the owner of the title hotel. Said hotel is a legendary edifice falling into obsolescence, and Law’s “Author” is curious as to why the immensely wealthy Moustafa chooses to bunk in a practically closet-size room on his yearly visits to the place. Over dinner. Moustafa deigns to satisfy the writer’s curiosity, telling him of his apprenticeship under the hotel’s one-time concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes).

All of this material is conveyed not just in the standard Wes Anderson style, e.g., meticulously composed and designed shots with precise and very constricted camera movements. In “Hotel” Anderson’s refinement of his particular moviemaking mode is so distinct that his debut feature, the hardly unstylized “Bottle Rocket,” looks like a Cassavetes picture by comparison. So, to answer some folks who claim to enjoy Anderson’s movies while also grousing that they wish he would apply his cinematic talents in a “different” mode: no, this isn’t the movie in which he does what you think you want, whatever that is. – Roger Ebert

epa04055543 An undated handout picture provided by the Berlin Film Festival organization on 05 February 2014 shows the actors Tony Revolori as Zero Moustafa and Saoirse Ronan as Agatha in a still from the film ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ by director Martin Scali. The movie opens the 64th annual Berlin Film Festival on 06 February 2014, which runs from 06 to 16 February. EPA/MARTIN SCALI/20TH CENTURY FOX/BERLINALE/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/MANDATORY CREDIT/NO SALES/USE ONLY UNTIL 15 March 2014 HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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Memorable & Noteworthy

What do you do when you take a very fare liking to films that are out of the ordinary? Films that are unaccustomed just as they are exciting? You share them with other movie buffs just like you! Here on this wee corner of the internet I will exhibit an array of films that I just can't get enough of. One just as special as the next and one before.